Sulfanegen is an experimental antidote for cyanide poisoning.[1] It is being studied as a prodrug for 3-mercaptopyruvic acid (3-MP). 3-MP has been studied as a potential treatment for cyanide poisoning, but the half-life is too short for it to be clinically effective.[2] Instead, alternative chemicals such as sulfanegen, the hemithioacetal cyclic dimer of 3-MP, are being evaluated that produce 3-MP in vivo to compensate for the short half-life of 3-MP itself.[3]
Sulfanegen has been shown to be effective in animal studies.[4] It is being studied as the disodiumsalt, sulfanegen sodium,[3][5] and the triethanolamine salt, sulfanegen TEA.[6] One advantage various sulfanegen formulations have over existing treatments for acute cyanide poisoning is that they might be administered by intramuscular injection or orally[1] rather than by intravenous infusion.[6]
^Nagahara, N; Li, Q; Sawada, N (2003). "Do antidotes for acute cyanide poisoning act on mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase to facilitate detoxification?". Current Drug Targets. Immune, Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders. 3 (3): 198–204. doi:10.2174/1568008033340162. PMID12871026.